Maricopa County leadership is asking U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to drop a lawsuit against Phoenix police and limit consent decrees.
In a letter sent to Bondi on Tuesday, Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Thomas Galvin made the case to drop the ongoing Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuit against the Phoenix Police Department and further restrict consent decree usage in order to improve law enforcement capabilities.
“My colleagues and I share a commitment to effective policing,” said Galvin. “Federal oversight is an affront to federalism.”
Chairman Galvin Letter to Attorney General Bondi on Priority of Public Safety in Maricopa County: My colleagues and I share a commitment to effective policing. Federal oversight is an affront to federalism. Please see below for my letter to @AGPamBondihttps://t.co/cJX2EQ6zni
— Thomas Galvin: Chairman, Maricopa County BOS (@ThomasGalvin) April 15, 2025
Galvin said the controls exercised by the judicial branch over policing in recent decades amounted to “an assault on federalism and a quiet tyranny” perpetrated by activists. The chairman reminded Bondi that no instances of racial profiling in traffic stops emerged in Maricopa County following the 2013 ruling in Ortega Melendres, et al. v. Arpaio, et al. In that case, the ACLU, ACLU of Arizona, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and law firm Covington & Burling sued on behalf of Latino residents alleging Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office committed racial profiling in traffic stops when inquiring after immigration status.
“Tragically, one of the largest obstacles to protecting our citizens is legal: judicial takeovers of law enforcement through consent decrees, court-appointed monitors, and judgments that mutate over time to prevent local governments from ever satisfying their requirements and regaining local control,” wrote Galvin.
Galvin reported Maricopa County spent over $300 million on the consent decree and independent monitoring to comply with the 2013 federal court ruling. Galvin asked Bondi to restore limitations on consent decrees in order to lift the fiscal and administrative burdens on Maricopa County law enforcement.
Galvin also asked Bondi to drop the lawsuit against the Phoenix Police Department (PPD). Last June, the Biden administration’s DOJ accused PPD and the city of Phoenix of committing civil rights violations: excessive force and unjustified deadly force; unlawful detainment, citations, and arrests of homeless individuals; unlawful disposal of homeless belongings; discrimination against Black, Hispanic, and Native American individuals; free speech punishments; and discrimination against mentally ill individuals.
The DOJ’s accusations were a result of their investigation opened in August 2021. The DOJ sought to enter into a consent decree and independent monitoring, but the city refused.
“It simply sets the stage for a judgment that allows a federal judge to take over law enforcement in America’s fifth-largest city — exactly the nightmare that Maricopa County is living already,” wrote Galvin. “I am certain you will agree that our communities will only be safer and stronger if they were able to commit every resource to fighting the flow of drugs, violence, and human smuggling rather than chasing the whims of a federal judge.”
The county does have some support for an end to the lawsuit at the federal level.
Last month, Congressman Abe Hamadeh submitted a similar request letter to FBI Director Kash Patel requesting a rescission of the DOJ’s “desperate witch hunt” report on PPD.
“It is nothing more than an attempt to undercut valid police work, leaving my constituents — both officers and civilians — at risk,” wrote Hamadeh. “Despite the Biden DOJ’s baseless claims, our officers did everything right, voluntarily cooperating in good faith, opening their records, and participating in lengthy interviews. They were met with stonewalling, mischaracterized testimony, and a final report riddled with glaring inaccuracies.”
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
The Trump administration will no longer continue its legal challenge to Arizona’s documentary proof of citizenship (DPOC) laws.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a brief on Tuesday motioning to drop the case.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon filed the brief the very day after she was sworn into her position within the Civil Rights Division, alongside the controversial Interim Attorney for the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, Timothy Courchaine.
Senate President Warren Petersen called the development “a major win for election integrity and the rule of law” in a statement Wednesday. Petersen previously submitted a letter to the DOJ requesting they drop the case.
“The @azsenategop and @azhousegop will continue to defend this law against the special interest groups challenging it,” said Petersen.
🚨BREAKING: A MAJOR WIN FOR ELECTION INTEGRITY AND THE RULE OF LAW!!!
The DOJ, under @realdonaldtrump, just filed a brief announcing they are REVERSING the Biden challenge and are no longer seeking to overturn Arizona’s documentary proof of citizenship laws!!
Petersen submitted his request letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi in mid-February.
The case, Mi Familia Vota v. Fontes, is before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Arizona’s DPOC laws required automatic rejection of Arizona state form registration submissions lacking DPOC, prohibited individuals who hadn’t provided DPOC from voting for a president or returning a ballot by mail, and added mandatory fields to the state registration form for a registrant’s birthplace and a checkbox confirmation of the applicant’s U.S. citizenship.
Last August, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Arizona would have to accept state voter registration forms without DPOC.
Tuesday’s motion by the DOJ was the latest in the Trump administration’s efforts to cease legal action against states’ election laws.
Last month, the DOJ dropped multiple election-related lawsuits in Texas, Georgia, and Louisiana initiated under the Biden administration. Those lawsuits opposed voting maps and election integrity initiatives, respectively.
President Donald Trump and his administration have also taken steps to require proof of citizenship in elections, prompting resistance from the state’s top Democratic leaders.
Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, alongside Attorney General Kris Mayes, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over President Donald Trump’s recent executive order requiring DPOC to register to vote in federal elections as well as requiring all ballots to be received by Election Day.
Last week, Mayes and Fontes held a joint press conference announcing their lawsuit and accusing Trump of “unconstitutional intrusion” on states’ rights and congressional authority regarding elections. The pair want Trump to go through — not around — Congress for any election law changes.
“If President Trump wanted to make laws then he should have run for congress where the U.S. Constitution says that work is done,” said Fontes. “If the President wants to reshape our elections, he must propose realistic bipartisan legislation in Congress instead of forcing states into unfunded mandates through unlawful executive orders.”
“Clearly, Trump only supports state’s rights when it suits him,” said Mayes.
Last month in another case pertaining to DPOC, the Arizona Court of Appeals ruled against the Elections Procedure Manual (EPM) produced by Secretary of State Adrian Fontes. Fontes’ EPM would have allowed voters who failed to submit or couldn’t achieve verification of their DPOC.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
Congressman Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ) issued a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel, calling on him to rescind a Department of Justice report on the Phoenix Police Department. Hamadeh characterized the report as an example of the weaponization of the DOJ based on cherry picked narratives by the outgoing Biden Administration to support “their political agenda.”
In part, the letter from Hamadeh read, “The Biden DOJ’s ‘pattern or practice’ report on the Phoenix Police Department was a desperate witch hunt. It is nothing more than an attempt to undercut valid police work, leaving my constituents – both officers and civilians – at risk.
“Despite the Biden DOJ’s baseless claims, our officers did everything right, voluntarily cooperating in good faith, opening their records, and participating in lengthy interviews. They were met with stonewalling, mischaracterized testimony, and a final report riddled with glaring inaccuracies. The Biden DOJ’s claim that Phoenix Police Department officers violated constitutional standards during unrest following one of President Trump’s rallies was absurd. That claim is especially ludicrous because the Ninth Circuit affirmed that the department’s actions were lawful. The Biden DOJ ignored this and many other court-backed facts, choosing instead to cherry-pick narratives that support their political agenda.
“The Biden DOJ sowed distrust, diverting millions from public safety, and discouraging officers — at the very moment when Arizona’s communities need them most.”
As reported by AZ Free News, efforts had been underway during the Biden administration to shackle the Phoenix police with a DOJ Consent Decree designed to place the Department under court-ordered federal oversight. The move came following a report from the Biden DOJ that claimed, “We have reasonable cause to believe that PhxPD and the City engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the Constitution and federal law. First, PhxPD uses excessive force, including unjustified deadly force and unreasonable less-lethal force. Second, PhxPD and the City violate the rights of people experiencing homelessness by unlawfully detaining, citing, and arresting them and by unlawfully disposing of their belongings. Third, PhxPD discriminates against Black, Hispanic, and Native American people when making stops and arrests. Fourth, PhxPD violates individuals’ First Amendment Rights. Fifth, PhxPD and the City discriminate in their response to people who have behavioral health disabilities. Finally, we have serious concerns about PhxPD’s treatment of children, and the lasting impact aggressive police encounters have on their mental and physical wellbeing.”
Hamadeh, who participated in a regularly scheduled Air Support Mission with the PPD, had the opportunity to see the work of Phoenix Police Officers firsthand and a statement from his office said decisively, “Congressman Hamadeh believes that by rescinding the DOJ’s report on the Phoenix Police Department, the Trump administration will send a powerful message that political interference has no place in law enforcement, and that America First principles now govern the day.”
Legal experts are concerned over Attorney General Pam Bondi’s pick for Interim Attorney for the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.
The Justice Department (DOJ) announced the swearing in of Timothy Courchaine on Monday, effectively opting for an internal promotion to the assistant U.S. attorney of nearly five years rather than bringing in new leadership. Bondi appointed Courchaine last week.
The appointment came shortly after the termination of the former U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino, appointed to the position by President Joe Biden in November 2021. Restaino’s term earned a general reputation for not accomplishing as much as possible.
An insider at the Arizona legislature expressed concern to AZ Free News that this selection would continue the status quo within the legal world, not prompt greater activity or usher in the desired overhaul of an office scrutinized for its caseload in recent years.
“The U.S. attorney’s office here in Arizona has earned a reputation for being ineffective and deliberately so. You cannot clean it up from the inside. You must have someone come in and see just what a mess it is,” said the source. “Anyone who has been on the inside and who has not publicly come forward to talk about what a disaster it is does not deserve to lead the place.”
Cleaning house within the DOJ was one of the clear mandates set forth by President Donald Trump.
“Over the past four years, the Department of Justice has been politicized like never before,” posted Trump on TruthSocial. “Therefore, I have instructed the termination of ALL remaining ‘Biden Era’ U.S. Attorneys. We must ‘clean house’ immediately, and restore confidence. America’s Golden Age must have a fair Justice System — THAT BEGINS TODAY!”
POTUS just ordered the firing of all remaining Biden US attorneys. That is exactly what needed to be done, and it has been done by past administrations. These are presidential appointees, and in Biden's case, he chose the most radical, political US attorneys in my lifetime.… pic.twitter.com/YafmHz4Pbm
Prior to joining the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, Courchaine clerked for Arizona Supreme Court Justice William Montgomery. Courchaine began his career with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office back in 2015 as a special projects manager prior to joining the Marine Corps as a judge advocate and attaining the rank of captain. Courchaine was also a Blackstone Legal Fellow for the Claremont Institute’s Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence before clerking for Biola University’s Office of General Counsel.
As the interim Arizona district attorney, Courchaine supervises prosecution of all federal crimes and litigation of all civil matters in which the U.S. has an interest. The DOJ reported that Courchaine leads a staff of about 350 prosecutors, civil litigators, and support personnel across the state. The office also handles one of the larger Indian Country dockets in the nation, serving as the felony prosecutor for nearly all the 22 federally recognized tribes within the state.
The DOJ also credited Courchaine with the handling of cases concerning border crimes and Mexican-based cartels.
Per reporting from the Arizona Daily Independent, potential appointees to the permanent slot include Tim La Sota, Dennis Wilinchek, Jennifer Wright, Anthony Martin, James Rogers, and potentially former Arizona Supreme Court Justice Andrew Gould.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
The Trump administration has been hard at work dismantling offices of “environmental justice” in the federal government.
Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it began implementing Trump’s executive order “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing.” The agency placed on leave 171 employees in DEI and environmental justice offices.
The EPA intends to close the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, The Washington Post reported. Trump appointees at the Justice Department announced they would restructure the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.
Shortly after her confirmation, Attorney General Pam Bondi rescinded any “memoranda, guidance, or similar directive that implement the prior administration’s ‘environmental justice’ agenda.”
“Going forward, the Department will evenhandedly enforce all federal civil and criminal laws, including environmental laws,” Bondi noted.
Why does this matter?
“Environmental justice” refers to the toxic brew of critical race theory and climate alarmism. According to critical race theory, America is institutionally racist against black people and other minorities and in favor of white people. According to climate alarmism, the burning of fossil fuels will bring about Armageddon.
The EPA defines “environmental justice” as ensuring that Americans “are fully protected from disproportionate and adverse human health and environmental effects (including risks) and hazards, including those related to climate change, the cumulative impacts of environmental and other burdens, and the legacy of racism or other structural or systemic barriers” (emphasis added).
Trump entered office promising to unleash American energy and reverse the Biden administration’s promotion of critical race theory and its application in the “diversity, equity, and inclusion” movement. This diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) movement aims to promote some racial minorities, rejecting the colorblind approach of focusing on merit or competence.
While President George H.W. Bush established the EPA’s Office of Environmental Equity — the office that President Bill Clinton would later rename the Office of Environmental Justice — President Joe Biden hypercharged its mission, directing all-of-government efforts on DEI, restrictions on fossil fuels, and a promotion of less reliable forms of energy, like wind and solar.
In doing so, Biden followed the demands of activist groups, many of which staffed and advised his administration.
As I note in my book, “The Woketopus: The Dark Money Cabal Manipulating the Federal Government,” Biden tapped climate alarmists for key leadership positions.
Biden picked Michael Regan, a vice president at the Environmental Defense Fund, to head up the EPA. He selected Laura Daniel-Davis, a vice president at the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), to serve at the Department of the Interior. He nominated Tracey Stone-Manning, another NWF staffer who confessed to typing out a letter on behalf of tree-spiking eco-terrorists, to head the Bureau of Land Management.
Gina McCarthy, who headed EPA under President Barack Obama, became president of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) until Biden appointed her national climate adviser.
When Trump moved against the EPA’s environmental justice office, NRDC released a statement condemning the move as a “disgrace.” Who did NRDC enlist to make the statement? None other than Matthew Tejada, who directed the Office of Environmental Justice from 2013 to 2022.
“The Trump EPA is abandoning the communities across our nation that need help the most,” Tejada said. “Shuttering the environmental justice office will mean more toxic contaminants, dangerous air, and unsafe water in communities across the nation that have been most harmed by pollution in the past.”
That conclusion, of course, relies on the assumptions of critical race theory and climate alarmism, however. If America is not institutionally racist but rather a country with civil rights laws that protect citizens of all races from discrimination, the EPA does not need an “environmental justice” office to combat pollution for Americans of specific skin colors.
If the predictions of climate disaster are overblown and based on false assumptions that exaggerate the risks when actual deaths from climate disaster have declined by 99% over the past century, then perhaps the EPA need not invest extra funds in an office of environmental justice. If fossil fuels have gotten substantially cleaner, perhaps the EPA should focus on specific air quality issues, rather than premonitions of global climate doom.
This seems to be at least part of the reasoning behind EPA’s restructure.
“Under President Trump, the EPA will be focused on our core mission to protect human health and the environment, while Powering the Great American Comeback,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a statement Tuesday. “The previous Administration used DEI and Environmental Justice to advance ideological priorities, distributing billions of dollars to organizations in the name of climate equity. This ends now.”
“We will be good stewards of tax dollars and do everything in our power to deliver clean air, land, and water to every American, regardless of race, religion, background, and creed,” he added.
While pollution affects Americans in different ways, the EPA need not indulge in critical race theory and climate alarmism to effectively combat the real threats Americans face. Rather than addressing supposed institutional racism and fossil fuel-induced disaster, the EPA should focus on its actual mission: protecting Americans from concrete instances of pollution and environmental harms.
Of course, those humdrum concerns don’t require as much federal funding and staff — and that might explain the real reason behind the Left’s freakout over Trump’s move.
Tyler O’Neil is a contributor to The Daily Caller News Foundation, managing editor of The Daily Signal, and the author of two books: “Making Hate Pay: The Corruption of the Southern Poverty Law Center,” and “The Woketopus: The Dark Money Cabal Manipulating the Federal Government.”
